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LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit
pursued against the Department of Justice by government watchdog
Judicial Watch, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has
ruled documents being withheld from Congress under President Obama’s
claim of executive privilege must be turned over. Obama made the claim
on the same day Attorney General Eric Holder was voted in criminal and
civil contempt of Congress in June 2012.

“This order forces the Obama DOJ, for the first time, to provide a
detailed listing of all documents that it has withheld from Congress and
the American people for years about the deadly Fast and Furious gun
running scandal,” Judicial Watch released in a statement.

The FOIA lawsuit has been ongoing for 16-months and is now proceeding
after a lengthy delay. The Justice Department originally asked the
court for an indefinite hold on a FOIA request from Judicial Watch,
citing executive privilege and an ongoing investigation. That indefinite
hold request was shot down more than a year ago.

The documentation DOJ is required to now turn over is a “Vaughn
index” of “all requested Fast and Furious materials from a June 2012
Judicial Watch FOIA request.”

A Vaughn index must: (1) identify each document withheld; (2) state
the statutory exemption claimed; and (3) explain how disclosure would
damage the interests protected by the claimed exemption.” In ordering
the DOJ to provide Judicial Watch the Vaughn index, the Court ruled, “In
this circuit, when an agency is withholding documents under exemption
claims, courts require that the agency provide a Vaughn index so that
the FOIA requester – at a distinct informational disadvantage – may test
the agency’s claims.”

“Once again, Judicial Watch has beat Congress to the punch in getting
key information about another Obama scandal – this time, the Fast and
Furious outrage,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a
statement. “A federal court has ordered the Obama administration to
produce information that could, for the first time, provide specific
details who in the administration is responsible for Fast and Furious
lies to Congress and the American people. This is a battle that put Eric
Holder in contempt of Congress, saw Nixonian assertions of executive
privilege by Barack Obama, and a hapless Congress in face of all this
lawlessness. Finally, we may get some accountability for Border Patrol
Agent Brian Terry and the countless others murdered as a result of the
insanely reckless Obama administration program.”

The Department of Justice will not disclose the names of its lawyers
responsible for more than 650 ethical violations found in internal
agency watchdog reports.

DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility documented more than 650
examples of its lawyers violating department ethics rules, according to a
review of internal documents and OPR reports compiled by the Project on Government Oversight.

The review, spanning fiscal year 2002 through fiscal year 2013, found
more than 400 cases of recklessness or intentional misconduct,
according to OPR’s own standards. The office investigated approximately
2,100 alleged abuses during this time.

DOJ upholds a practice of not disclosing the names of lawyers identified by OPR as having committed offenses.

“The result: the Department, its lawyers, and the internal watchdog
office itself are insulated from meaningful public scrutiny and
accountability,” concluded the Project on Government Oversight.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Title 1 General Provision, Chapter 13: Public Records and Proceedings, Subchapter 1: Freedom of Access, Statue 402 Definitions outline the Public Records which can be obtained by individuals. This Statue also outlines the exceptions that cannot be obtained.

So why is this statue part of Maine Law? Lawmakers established this program as the tool to be used by citizens when transparency in government no longer exists. This program was created as a check and balance procedure to ensure residents of Maine would be able to find out what is going on in their towns and at the state level. The program provides a way for the people to get answers to their questions when our elected officials do not want to divulge this information.

Representative Mary Nelson (D-Falmouth) and Judy Meyer, Chairlady for the Right to Know Advisory Committee are representing the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) and trying to change the current procedures. Mrs. Meyer went so far as to state she felt the court should stop any and all requests deemed a NUISANCE. I cannot understand why any FOAA requests that meet the requirements of the law can possible be considered a NUISANCE. It is the individual’s right, under the law, to request any documents that meet the provisions of the law. Apparently, Representative Nelson and Mrs. Meyer have something to hide; Why else would they want to deny the right of any Maine citizen to submit a FOAA request that qualifies under the Maine law?

The provisions of Representative Nelson's bill are totally ridiculous. Representative Nelson’s bill would eliminate the $15.00 per hour charge after the first hour as the fee and allow the agency to dictate how long and what price they can charge for completing the FOAA request. I had this situation happen to me. I requested information that could have been extracted from the computer system in a matter of seconds. However, it took the Finance Director several hours to gather the information and then the town charged me for each hour the Finance Director stated it took her to retrieve the information. There are no checks and balances to ensure the accuracy of the time it takes to complete any requests. Leaving it up to the agency is like having the fox guard the hen house. There has to be guidelines established to ensure the integrity of the program.

I, like Mr. Michael Doyle (Falmouth) utilize the Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) program when my elected officials refuse to provide information. I am sure my FOAA requests are a NUISANCE to town employees but it is MY RIGHT under the law and who is going to judge if my request is a NUISANCE or not. My thought process is much different than anyone else. So who is going to deny me my right? Who has the right to deny Mr. Doyle and others their right to request information under the law? In both Mr. Doyle’s case and my own, we have discovered abnormalities in our local government.

Representative Nelson and Mrs. Meyer should be ashamed for trying to make it impossible for individuals to submit requests under the FOAA program. It is easy to understand why the Maine Municipal Association wants to make it harder for citizens to challenge local government because they represent the municipalities. But the bottom line is, there is a program in place that allows residents of Maine to request information from their town and state under the law. And as long as these individuals meet the requirements of the statue, they should be able to submit as many as they want without any interference from the state or anyone else.

Mrs. Meyer is the Chairlady of the Right to Know Advisory Committee and she is supporting Representative Nelson’s bill. How is this possible because if Mrs. Meyer is stating that these requests by Mr. Doyle and I are NUISANCE requests; then she is talking out of both sides of her mouth at the same time.

You no longer have the Right to Know if you cannot submit a request for information under the Freedom of Access Act (FOAA). Larry Fillmore

Sunshine Week is less than six weeks away! Agencies, what are you doing to prepare?

Last year, Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero sent a message during Sunshine Week to National Archives’ staff reminding them that FOIA is everyone’s responsibility and responding to access requests doesn’t rest solely on the agency’s FOIA and archival staff. [...]

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